Speed-changing mechanism



Feb. 17, 1931v G. T. RANDOL SPEED CHANGING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 26, 1925 Patented Feta 17, 1931 L an s rATEs PATENT, oF IcE eLENN '1. nANnoL. or mmmnnuxn. Ari-KANsAs, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF 'ro PAUL n. RANDOL. or sou'rn BEND, INDIANA.

-' SPEED-CHANGING MECHANISM Application filed J'anaury 2t, 1925. SeriaLNo. 4,887.

This invention relates .to an improved speed changing mechanism and seeks among other objects, to provide a mechanism wherein the controllof the different speeds is placed 5 at the finger tips of the operator and wherein p the different speeds are made active directly by said control.

@ther objects of the invention not specifirally mentioned in the foregoing will appear 19 during the course of the following description.

In the drawings, I Figure 1 is a View partly in elevation and partly in section showing the present mechanism in connection with a motor vehicle transmission,

Figure 2 is a detail elevation of the hand lever and supporting casing.

Referrin more particularly to the drawings, I have shown: a transmission casing 10 normally "closed by'a cover plate 11 and extending from the forward end wall of thecasing is a flange 12 which, when the transmission is installed upon a motor vehicle at the 'rearof the vehicle engine, is bolted, in theusual manner, to the customary flange at the rear end of the engine to provide a housing for the clutch of the vehicle. Boltedto the rear end wall of the casing is a cylindrical housing 13 providedat one side, as

particularly shown in Figure 3 of the draw ings, with a longitudinally extending enlargement 14c.

Extendingforwardly from the housing 13 is a rod 72 provided at its rear end with a socket 73 connecting the rod with a suitable shifter reciprocable within the enlargement- 14- of the housing 13 for selecting the different speeds of the transmission. At its forward end the rod 72 is, as shown in Figure 1,

connected to one arm of a bell crank 74. This bell crank may be mounted upon any suitably located part of the vehicle. Fixed to the steering post of the vehicle, or, if pre- 550 for connecting the casing with the instruferred, to the instrument board, as conveninent board. As shown in Figure 2, the ont-v wardly and rearwardly sloping front wall of this casing is provided with a longitu dinally extending slot 78 having an ofiset therein-which defines a shoulder 79 at the junction between the lower and upper end portions of the slot. Extending transversely of the casing through the side walls thereof is a cross pin 80 andpivoted near its inner end upon said rod .is a lever 81 provided at its inner terminal with an upstanding yoke 82,

'itbeing observed that the instrument board is slotted to freely accommodate the lever therethrough. Pivoted upon the yoke 82 to rock in a plane at a right angle to the plane -of movement of the lever 81, is an upstanding hand lever 83 which is freely received through the slot 7 8 in the front wall of the casing and preferably provided at its upper end with a ball knob. Connecting the forward end of the lever 81 with the adjacent arm of the bell crank 74. is a link 84:.

As will now be seen, when the hand lever 83 is swung rearwardly in the slot 78, the rod 72 will be moved rearwardly, so that said rod is thus under the direct manual control of the hand lever. As shown in Figure 2, the front wall of thecasing 76 is preferably provided with suitably located indicia indicating the proper position'ofthe lever for the different speeds'as well as the neutral positionsbetween the first and second speeds and verse will be little used, it is not indicated.

When the lever is in its foremost positibn, at the forward end of the slot 78 as shown in Figure 1, the high speed is, of course, rendered active while when the lever is swung rearwardly to abut the shoulder 7 9 at the offset in the slot, the first speed is rendered active. definite positioniof the lever is thus provided for high speed and by forming-the slot with the offset therein, a definite position is provided forfirst speed. Furtherm0re, when the lever is the rear end of the slot, the reverse is rendered active so that inall, definite positions are defined for high, first and reverse, high, first and-reverse being the most used. Furswung rearwardly to 2 1,7eae1o thermore, the resence of the shoulder 7 9 in the slot 77 wifi prevent unintentional rearward movement of the lever 83 until the reverse is rendered active. However, as will be appreciated, the lever may be readily rocked on the yoke 82 and thus shifted through the offset in the slot 78 so that, when desired, the lever may be easily moved to its rearmost position. 19 Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: Speed changing mechanism including speed changing means, a substantially triangular shaped casing having spaced side walls connected by aninclined front wall and provided on the side walls thereof with base flanges for attaching the casing to a support, the front wall being formed with a slot having an ofiset therein, a lever extendno ing into the casing and provided atits upper terminal with a yoke, a pivot pin extending between the side walls of the casing through said lever at the base of said yoke and supporting the lever for rocking movement, an operatlve connection between said lever and said means, a' second lever freely received through said slot into said yoke, and a pivot pin connecting the latter lever with said yoke and extending at a right angle to said firstmentioned pin for supporting the latter lever for rocking movement in a plane at a right angle to the plane of movement of the former lever, the latter lever being shiftable in said slot for actuating said means. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GLENN T. RANDOL. 

